Pages

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Education: Copywork

I'm all about integrating subjects- it saves time & teaches our children that learning isn't isolated. Copywork is a great tool to integrate handwriting, memorization, grammar & more! Plus, copywork lays the foundation for dictation. I buy spiral bound copybooks for each of the children and they begin by copying their name, address, days of the month, numbers, poems, catechisms, Bible verses, hymns, Latin, Suzuki songs... the list could go on ad infinitum (that is your Latin for the day- go look it up!).

Patricia recently started using the "Journibles: The 17:18 Series" from Reformation Heritage Books. (This publisher is excellent- their prices are low & their materials are solid. I've met the couple at the conference & they are super-nice people... despite the fact that they come from Michigan! Oh, and their baby shares Abigail's birthday- how cool is that?)

I know that it is a fad right now in Christian circles to copy the Bible and I'm not normally a big fan of fads. BUT, copying and thinking about God's Word is a great thing! Patricia has enjoyed having a special book for her work. She is currently copying Proverbs, just like Dawn. She (we) hope she can make her way through the entire Bible- wouldn't that be awesome! The other other children will start copying the entire Bible when their handwriting is a bit easier/better (for now, they copy verses or short passages).

"And it shall be, when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write for himself a copy of this law in a book, from the one before the priests, the Levites. And it shall be with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God and be careful to observe all the words of this law and these statues, that his heart may not be lifted above his brethren, that he may not turn aside from the commandment to the right hand or to the left, and that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he and his children in the midst of Israel." (Deuteronomy 17:18-20)